Octavio Zambrano didn’t just fall short. The Ecuadoran didn’t come close to meeting expectations laid out by the Canadian Soccer Association when he was hired last March.

The 59-year-old was sacked late Monday night in a soccer shocker that surprised everyone except for those on the inside, according to multiple well-placed sources the Toronto Sun spoke with in the aftermath.

The “botched hiring,” as one informed source labelled Zambrano, became apparent as “administrative issues” began to pile up less than a year into his tumultuous tenure.

He was late to or absent from meetings, and struggled to implement a coherent top-to-bottom development plan that encompassed Canada’s youth teams, according to another source in the position to know.

Canada’s head coach Octavio Zambrano leads a practice in Montreal on June 12, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

While one current Canadian international told the Toronto Sun some senior players “loved” Zambrano, the CSA’s top brass weren’t impressed with Canada’s recent Gold Cup run, with one high-ranking decision-maker giving Les Rouges’ performance a “C-plus” grade at last summer’s tournament.

But Zambrano wasn’t replaced this week for his performance with Canada’s embattled men’s national team. He was supplanted by John Herdman, Canada’s well-respected women’s coach, because of his inability to oversee Canada’s entire men’s program, sources confirmed.

When approached by the Toronto Sun, at least one of Zambrano’s former players said he “wasn’t surprised” by any of the revelations just months into Zambrano’s time in charge, adding he was “shocked” he got the job in the first place.

Enter Herdman, a 42-year-old Englishman who resurrected Canada’s women’s program following its embarrassing last-place showing at the 2011 Women’s World Cup.

Back-to-back Olympic bronze medals afforded Herdman the right to lean on the CSA as it mulled replacing Zambrano just nine months into his two-year term. An informed source speculated the CSA’s board faced a dilemma: Potentially lose Herdman to a European suitor, or promote Canada’s highly valued women’s bench boss.

The move afforded the CSA the chance to dismiss a bad hire while retaining a manager it believes will succeed where Zambrano failed.

In this Aug. 16, 2016, file photo, Canada coach John Herdman stands on the sideline during a semifinal match of the women’s Olympic soccer tournament against Germany in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (AP Photo/Eugenio Savio, File)

Herdman is meticulous in his preparation, with a demonstrated ability to cultivate young talent on the women’s side and get results. He has earned the opportunity that an informed source speculated he had been seeking since the Rio Games. Whether his skill set will translate remains to be seen.

A source close to Herdman warned he’ll have one opportunity to earn the respect of a testosterone-filled dressing room that will be far less emotional and far more skeptical of his ability to transition.

Herdman won’t get the benefit of the doubt, the source added. There’s no Algarve or SheBelieves Cup to sort things out prior to major World Cup qualifiers that are “way more” pressure-packed than anything Herdman faced with Canada’s women’s team.

The source invoked San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the site of Canada’s infamous 8-1 loss, as being far different from playing at BC Place in front of thousands of screaming pre-teens, donning red face paint and Christine Sinclair jerseys. Simply put: The stakes are higher on the men’s side.

Canada’s Atiba Hutchinson, centre, leaves the field after a game against Honduras during a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on October 16, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

Herdman’s going to get the chance to prove exactly how good of a manager he is.

The margin for error in the men’s game is razor thin. World Cup qualification, something that has eluded the men’s team for three decades, isn’t automatic like it is for Canada’s women. The depth of field is exponentially bigger.

Matches aren’t won via athleticism and emotion as they are in the women’s game. Results are secured through tactics and technical ability on the men’s side.

Moreover, successful programs have a top-to-bottom identity, a system for identifying players, cohesiveness and belief in core principles that weren’t clearly defined under Zambrano, according to insiders.

Those quick to dismiss Herdman’s all-female resume have short memories. Ex-Canada coach Benito Floro fell well short of expectations despite having a mile-long resume that included the name “Real Madrid.”

Ex-Canada manager Benito Floro during the International Friendly match between Canada and Australia at Craven Cottage on October 15, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

There’s a reason a front office in Major League Soccer recently considered contacting Herdman. He has earned respect throughout the region as a leader and a team builder. He even showed a bit of fire last year when he took the Toronto Sun to task over not covering his women’s team with the same enthusiasm it covers the men.

Twelve months later, Herdman’s under the media microscope he wanted — something that’s going to persist whether he’s a success or a failure.

The good news, though, is he can’t take the men’s team any lower after taking Canada’s women’s team as far as he could.

Now he’ll look to do what Floro, Zambrano and so many before him couldn’t.

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